Tag Archives: time

Child obesity level surpasses underweight cases worldwide for the first time, UNICEF warns

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One in 10 children aged 5 to 19 – 188 million worldwide – are now living with obesity, placing them at heightened risk of chronic diseases such as type-2 diabetes, heart conditions, and certain cancers.

“When we talk about malnutrition, we are no longer just talking about underweight children,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.

“Obesity is a growing concern that can impact the health and development of children. Ultra-processed food is increasingly replacing fruits, vegetables and protein at a time when nutrition plays a critical role in children’s growth, cognitive development and mental health”, she added.

The report, Feeding Profit: How Food Environments are Failing Children, draws on data from over 190 countries and highlights a stark shift.

One in five overweight

Since 2000, the number underweight among five to 19-year-olds has dropped from nearly 13 per cent to 9.2 per cent.

In the same period, obesity has tripled, from three per cent to 9.4 per cent. Today, obesity rates exceed underweight in every region except sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

The situation is particularly acute in the Pacific Islands, where traditional diets have been displaced by cheap, energy-dense imported foods.

High-income countries are not exempt: 27 per cent of children in Chile, and 21 per cent in both the United States and United Arab Emirates, are affected.

Globally, one in five children and adolescents, or 391 million, are overweight, with nearly half now classified as obese.

Children are considered overweight when they are significantly heavier than what is healthy for their age, sex and height.

Obesity is a severe form of overweight and leads to a higher risk of developing insulin resistance and high blood pressure, as well as life-threatening diseases later in life, including type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers.

A consumer in Mongolia eats a sugary desert.

Marketing to blame

The report points to powerful commercial forces shaping these outcomes. Ultra-processed and fast foods, high in sugar, salt, unhealthy fats and additives, dominate children’s diets and are aggressively marketed, influencing children’s diets.

In a UNICEF poll of 64,000 young people across 170 countries, 75 per cent reported seeing ads for sugary drinks, snacks, or fast food in the previous week.

Sixty per cent said the ads made them want to eat the products. Even in conflict-affected countries, 68 per cent of young people said they were exposed to these advertisements.

These patterns, UNICEF warns, carry staggering economic consequences. By 2035, the global cost of overweight and obesity levels is projected to exceed $4 trillion annually. In Peru alone, obesity-related health issues could cost over $210 billion across a generation.

Government must act

Still, some governments are taking action. Mexico – where sugary drinks and ultra-processed foods make up 40 per cent of children’s daily calories – has banned their sale in public schools, improving food environments for more than 34 million children.

UNICEF is urging governments worldwide to follow suit with sweeping reforms: mandatory food labelling, marketing restrictions, and taxes on unhealthy products; bans on junk food in schools; stronger social protection programmes; and safeguards to shield policymaking from industry interference.

“In many countries we are seeing the double burden of malnutrition, the existence of stunting and obesity. This requires targeted interventions,” said Ms. Russell.

“Nutritious and affordable food must be available to every child to support their growth and development. We urgently need policies that support parents and caretakers to access nutritious and healthy foods for their children”, she concluded.
 

Security Council: UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon extended for a ‘final time’

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But the resolution stipulates it will then begin a one year “orderly and safe drawdown and withdrawal of its personnel”, in close consultation with the Lebanese Government.

The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was established by the Security Council in 1978 to oversee the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the south and has played an important role in monitoring security in southern Lebanon ever since.

The mission’s ‘blue helmets’ are mandated to implement resolution 1701 which brought an end to hostilities between Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants in 2006.

Since the formal end of fighting between the two sides last November which devastated areas of southern Lebanon, UNIFIL has been supporting the national army’s (LAF) mission to establish full control of the south – but Israel continues to have a presence in violation of Lebanese sovereignty.

Continuing role during drawdown

During the withdrawal period after the end of next year, the resolution says UNIFIL is authorised to continue providing security and assistance to UN personnel, while continuing to “maintain situational awareness” around UNIFIL outposts and bases.

It will also “contribute to the protection of civilians and the safe civilian-led delivery of humanitarian assistance.”

Furthermore, the resolution calls on the Secretary-General to present options by 1 June next year for the future implementation of resolution 1701 to establish a permanent end to fighting between Israel and militants in Lebanon.

Negotiations went down to the wire this week, with the United States acting Permanent Representative telling Thursday’s meeting it was already time for Lebanese forces to assume greater responsibility, without UN peacekeepers.

Penholder France led negotiations over the mandate, and their representative told ambassadors that UNIFIL’s ongoing efforts were vital: “Any premature withdrawal could undermine or even weaken the efforts of the Lebanese Government” in the south, he said.

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International Day for Remembrance of Slave Trade: ‘Time to abolish exploitation once and for all’

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“It is time to abolish human exploitation once and for all and to recognise the equal and unconditional dignity of each and every individual,” Ms. Azoulay said.

The Day is intended to inscribe the tragedy of the slave trade in the memory of all peoples.

Details from Ark of Return, the permanent memorial at UN Headquarters to acknowledge the tragedy and consider the legacy of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade.

‘The fight is not over’

Echoing the goals of UNESCO’s intercultural project The Routes of Enslaved Peoples, it should offer an opportunity for collective consideration of the historic causes, the methods and the consequences of this tragedy and for an analysis of the interactions to which it has given rise between Africa, Europe, the Americas and the Caribbean, said the UN agency, which leads the annual commemoration.

UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed said that while the Day honours the victims of the transatlantic slave trade, “the fight is not over.”

“Modern slavery persists,” she stated. “Let’s confront injustice, past and present and uphold the dignity and rights of every person.”

For its part, the UN works towards these goals, including through its Outreach Programme on the Transatlantic Slave Trade and Slavery, established in 2007.

Uprising led to abolition

On the night of 22 to 23 August 1791, in then Saint Domingue, now Haiti, saw the beginning of the uprising that would play a crucial role in the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade.

Against this background, the International Day is commemorated around the world. It was first celebrated in a number of countries, including in 1998 in Haiti and in 1999 on Gorée Island in Senegal, where millions of enslaved people had been forced onto ships to cross the ocean.

“Today, let us remember the victims and freedom fighters of the past so that they may inspire future generations to build just societies,” UNESCO’s Ms. Azoulay said.

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It’s time to end physical punishment of kids once and for all, WHO says

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Corporal punishment refers most frequently to hitting children but can refer to any punishments inflicted by parents, caregivers or teachers which are intended to cause some degree of discomfort. It can happen in the home or in more public settings like the school classroom.  

But wherever it happens, this sort of punishment has wide-ranging effects, including increased risk of anxiety and depression in addition to reduced cognitive and socio-emotional development.

“[Corporal punishment] offers no benefits to the behaviour, development or well-being of children and no benefit to parents or societies either,” said Etienne Krug, director of WHO’s department of health determinants.

No evidence that it works

Over past decades, many studies have examined the effects of corporal punishment, and not one has found that it has a positive impact on children or their behaviour. In contrast, many have found that it has many long-term negative health impacts on children as individuals – and societies as a whole.  

“There is now overwhelming scientific evidence that corporal punishment carries multiple risks to the health of children,” Ms. Krug said.  

A study conducted across 49 low and middle-income countries found that children who are corporally punished are 24 per cent less likely to be developmentally on track with their peers.  

In addition to causing immediate physical harm, this form of punishment heightens children’s hormonal stress levels which can actually change brain structure and function. In short, the impacts on an individual level can be life-long, according to the report.  

From a societal perspective, children who are themselves physically punished are also more likely to do the same to their own offspring, creating an intergenerational cycle of violence. Similarly, adults who were corporally punished as children are more likely to develop violent, criminal and aggressive behaviours.

“The practice [of corporal punishment] also fuels a broader social acceptance of violence, reinforcing harmful cycles across generations,” the report said.  

There is no evidence that corporal punishment is effective at changing children’s behaviours.

Regional differences

While corporal punishment is prevalent across the world and across cultures, regional variations do persist.

For example, in Europe and Central Asia, approximately 41 per cent of children are subjected to corporal punishment in homes compared to 75 per cent in the Middle East and North Africa.  

The disparity is even larger in schools — only 25 per cent of children in the Western Pacific experience corporal punishment during their schooling compared to over 70 per cent in Africa and Central America.  

Girls and boys are almost equally as likely to experience corporal punishment, though they may experience punishment for different behaviours and in different manners.

However, children with disabilities are at a heightened risk for suffering from corporal punishment. Additionally, poorer communities and those which experience economic or racial discrimination are more likely to practice corporal punishment.  

More than policy

The report emphasizes that banning corporal punishment is important but not enough. In fact, studies have found that there is no consistent association between legal bans and decreased rates in physical punishment.  

Currently, 67 countries worldwide have universal bans on corporal punishment, both in the home and in school. In addition to better enforcement of these prohibitions, WHO is calling for new educational campaigns to reinforce the harm it can cause.  

“Continuing use of corporal punishment and persisting belief in the necessity of its use despite legal bans, suggest that efforts to enact and enforce such laws should be accompanied by campaigns to increase awareness,” the report said.

Studies suggest that if parents knew of alternative and more effective methods of punishment for children, they would use them.  

“It’s time to end this harmful practice to ensure that children thrive at home and school,” Ms. Krug said.  

The world has the tools to end Haiti’s crisis – it’s time to use them

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“I often feel that I cannot even find words any longer to describe the situation. Is it alarming, is it acute, is it urgent? It is all of that and even more.”

The phrase she ultimately settled on was “strikingly horrific.”

Haiti is currently facing a protracted and worsening humanitarian crisis – with gang violence expanding beyond the capital of Port-au-Prince, civilians are increasingly bearing the brunt of this terror. Additionally, Haiti is one of five countries worldwide experiencing famine-like conditions.

Woeful crisis response

Amidst this horror, Haiti’s humanitarian plan is only nine per cent funded, making it the least funded humanitarian response plan in the world according to Ms. Richardson.

But despite these challenging and protracted circumstances, Ms. Richardson was also keen to emphasise that political will and funding could ensure that the current crisis does not have to be Haiti’s future.  

“Haiti’s destiny does not need to be misery and despair,” she said. “As much as Haiti has spiralled down in a negative [way], Haiti can quickly spiral up again.”

Beyond the figures

Over 1.3 million people have been displaced in Haiti as a result of violence – the  largest number in Haiti’s history – and almost half of the country is suffering from emergency food insecurity.   

These numbers have become so big that it can be hard to conceive of the actual human impact behind them.

“All of that is just figures. Beyond every figure, there is a mother, a child, a father, a young person,” she said.

Sometimes these numbers also obscure certain livelihoods. For example, the number of 1.3 million displaced obscures those left behind, perhaps because they physically could not flee as violence encroached on their neighborhood.  

Ms. Richardson said that she has heard many stories like this.

“These could be people in a wheelchair or an elderly relative that they simply have to leave behind. They cannot move with them.”  

Ask yourself, what more can you do?

Ms. Richardson said that there is much about Haiti’s current situation that she finds frustrating – most specifically the fact that the international community has identified the solutions to mitigate, if not completely stop, the crisis.

“We have tools, but the response from the international community is not on par with the gravity on the ground,” she said.  

For example, the Multinational Security Support mission (MSS) has half of the personnel and very little of the equipment it needs to fulfil its mandate.

Additionally, while sanctions on political leaders with gang ties are slowly taking hold, they are insufficient. Similarly, the international community is not doing enough to stop the flow of guns.  

“These tools need to be given the proper support and investment in order to carry out their full mandate. There has to be a way of stopping arms coming into Haiti,” Ms. Richardson said.

Calling on States to ask themselves what more they can do to end the humanitarian crisis, Ms. Richardson said that the world must multitask.  

‘A divided heart’

Ms. Richardson will be taking a new post in Libya as of 1 September , and as she prepares to leave behind her years of work in Haiti, she told journalists that she has a divided heart.

On the one hand, this is a humanitarian crisis of “striking” proportions that the world seems to have forgotten. But. if the international community was able to embrace the solutions before them, the crisis could end. 

Haiti can turn the page

“We cannot do what we do if we are not optimistic. Of course, we think that there are solutions. Of course, we think that the future is brighter than the present.”

Ms. Richardson said that this optimism comes in part from Haiti’s “honourable and brilliant” past and from the resistance she has seen on the ground.  

“Every condition is there to turn the page…Haitians are extremely ready for this, for the country to have a more positive echo in the international community.” 

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From crisis to cultivation: Haiti’s farmers build resilience one seed at a time

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Instead of having seeds which sprout reliably, farmers contend with batches which may grow only 40 or 50 per cent of the time. This not only diminishes their yield and profit but also decreases their ability to sustain their livelihoods.  

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is working with the Ministry of Agriculture in Haiti to change this by localising the seed economy and training members of organized seed banks known as Groupements de Production Artisanale de Semences (GPAS).   

“We realised that most of the seeds were of doubtful quality, that is to say they were not adapted to certain climate conditions… and as long as they are not well-adapted and are not good quality, we will have weak production,” PierreFrantz Jacques, a former farmer and one of FAO’s seed bank project managers, told UN News. 

UN Haiti/Daniel Dickinson

Seed banks in Haiti work to provide farmers with high quality seeds.

There are now over 200 GPAS located throughout Haiti, which cultivate high-quality seeds to distribute to other farmers with the goal of increasing farmers’ yields and reducing dependency on foreign seed and food imports.  

Especially today, these groups play an important role with more than half of the country facing emergency food insecurity and with agricultural production threatened by armed violence due to increased gang activity.  

“GPAS, in providing seeds of quality, contributes to the improvement of agricultural productivity and food security in communities,” Mr. Jacques said.  

A beginning amidst catastrophe

Around two-thirds of Haiti’s population relies on agriculture for their livelihoods, most of them are small farmers. However, because of recent globalizing forces, these farmers only produce 40 per cent of Haiti’s food, creating an untenable food situation through which Haiti has become dependent on exports.  

Throughout the past decades, various FAO programmes in Haiti have worked to support seed production as one approach to reducing the trade deficit. The GPAS programme in particular was revitalized in 2010 following the catastrophic 7.0 earthquake which devastated Haiti and its agricultural sector.  

FAO works to distribute high quality seeds in Haiti to stabilize crop production.

During this humanitarian crisis and while helping with the provision of emergency assistance, FAO looked beyond the immediacy of the crisis and began considering what it would mean to rebuild the agricultural sector.  

“Immediately, we need to have resources from humanitarian assistance dedicated to resilience activities. You have to prepare for later from the beginning,” said Pierre Vauthier, FAO’s Representative in Haiti.  

In 2010, this meant recognising that seed systems in Haiti were insufficient, with many farmers dependent on external sources and varieties of low-quality permeating the formal and informal market.  

From emergency to resilience

This is where GPAS came in, giving them high-quality, first-generation seeds (semences de base) with which to jumpstart their enterprises. The groups were also trained in best practices for cultivation, harvesting and financial management.  

While this training does rely on scientific research and technological advances, it also seeks to deploy local knowledge of ecosystems.  

In this vein, ultimately, it is the GPAS farmers who pick the seed varieties they want to cultivate, with many choosing local species which are already well-adapted to the environment and already a part of local agricultural traditions.

“The farmers and locals know their environment, all the particularities. They know the type of soil, the type of climate. And this knowledge is passed down from generation to generation,” Mr. Jacques said.  

Climate shocks have plagued Haiti’s agricultural sector.

Additionally, FAO works to provide seed banks with silos and other tools to practice proper storage. This is particularly important during climate shocks, enabling farmers to better protect stocks despite extreme weather events.  

“We can consider the seeds as an adaptation tool which allows farmers to continue to cultivate crops even during extreme conditions,” Mr. Jacques said.  

Ultimately, a program like GPAS is at the heart of what FAO does, Mr. Vauthier said — yes, FAO facilitates humanitarian assistance, but their real expertise lies in what comes after, in creating self-sustaining communities.  

“Resilience can give communities back dignity. It can make your brain think in a very different way, not as assisted but as someone taking control of his own life,” Mr. Vauthier said.  

One seed matters

Haiti is facing a protracted crisis — 1.3 million people displaced, almost six million facing emergency food insecurity, impending climate shocks for which the country is ill-prepared and armed violence which is brutalising communities.  

In this context, perhaps it is hard to believe that one seed matters. But for FAO, sometimes change needs to be small, to be locally sustainable before it is exported to the entire country. These changes may not be revolutionary, Mr. Vauthier said, but they do work and they do last.  

Seed banks are much the same, according to Mr. Jacques.  

“What happens is that farmers are less dependent on other human beings. They are capable of producing their own seeds… they will contribute to reinforcing autonomy and food security,” he said.  

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Fight to end AIDS: ‘This is not just a funding gap – it’s a ticking time bomb’

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The 2025 Global AIDS Update released on Thursday by UNAIDS – the global body’s agency fighting AIDS and HIV infection – warns that a historic funding crisis now threatens to unravel decades of hard-won gains unless countries radically rethink how they fund and deliver HIV services.

Yet even amid these challenges, many of the most-affected countries are stepping up. Of the 60 low and middle-income nations surveyed in the report, 25 have signaled plans to increase domestic HIV budgets in 2026 – a clear sign of growing national leadership and commitment to the response.

Although promising, such efforts are not sufficient to replace the scale of international funding in countries that are heavily reliant on global donors.  

Global emergency   

Despite marked progress in the HIV response in 2024, this year has seen many disruptions to HIV prevention programmes and treatment services, due to abrupt funding shortfalls in Washington and other major donor capitals.  

Even before the large-scale service disruptions, reported data for 2024 showed that 9.2 million people living with HIV still did not have access to life-saving treatments, contributing to 75,000 AIDS-related deaths among children in 2024.  

“This is not just a funding gap – it’s a ticking time bomb,” said Winnie Byanyima, UNAIDS Executive Director, as many AIDS-relief programmes are being defunded, pushing people out of critically needed care.  

If US-supported HIV treatment and prevention services collapse entirely, UNAIDS estimated that an additional six million new HIV infections, and four million additional AIDS-related deaths could occur between 2025 and 2029. 

Call for solidarity

Despite the grim landscape, “there is still time to transform this crisis into an opportunity,” said Ms. Byanyima, as countries and communities are stepping up to protect treatment gains.  

As of December 2024, seven countries in sub-Saharan Africa had achieved the 95-95-95 targets: 95 per cent of people living with HIV know their status, 95 per cent of those are on treatment, and 95 per cent of those on treatment are virally suppressed.  

While such successes must be maintained and further scaled up, the global HIV response cannot rely on domestic resources alone.  

“In a time of crisis, the world must choose transformation over retreat,” said Ms. Byanyima.  

“Together, we can still end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 – if we act with urgency, unity and unwavering commitment,” she added.   

‘Very limited time to react’: Texas flash floods expose challenges in early warning

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The UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said that the tragedy highlights growing global challenges around extreme rainfall, warning dissemination and community preparedness.

Flash floods are the most lethal form of flooding, responsible for over 5,000 deaths annually and 85 per cent of all flood-related fatalities worldwide, according to WMO data, and result in economic losses of more than $50 billion annually.

“Unlike slow-onset river floods, flash floods leave very limited time for reaction,” the agency said in a news release on Wednesday.

“That makes accurate short-term forecasting and community preparedness essential.”

One-day precipitation totals from NASA’s IMERG multi-satellite precipitation product show heavy rainfall over central Texas on July 4, 2025.

Months of rains in hours

Overnight 3 into 4 July, torrential rains – up to 46 centimetres (about 18 inches) in a matter of hours – sent a wall of water surging through Kerr County’s Guadalupe River basin at around 4 AM, catching many residents and vacationers off guard.

The US National Weather Service issued timely alerts – including a flash flood watch more than 12 hours in advance, upgraded to a flash flood emergency about three hours before impact.

The warnings were disseminated by Weather Radio, emergency management systems and television and radio stations, but many people, including hundreds of children at summer camps, were not reached in time.

Floodwaters surged dramatically as the Guadalupe River rose nearly 8 metres (about 26 feet) in about 45 minutes.

Among the hardest hit was the all-girls summer camp, Camp Mystic, along the river, where at least 27 campers and counsellors died, according to media reports. Texas state authorities report that more than 160 people remain missing.

The disaster has triggered one of the largest search-and-rescue efforts in state history.

More frequent and severe floods

Flash floods are not new, but their frequency and intensity are increasing in many regions due to rapid urbanization, land-use change and a warming climate.

“A warmer atmosphere holds more moisture and so this means that extreme rainfall events are becoming more frequent,” WMO said.

The Texas disaster joins a string of recent catastrophic floods. In 2022, flash floods in Pakistan killed over 1,700 people and displaced millions. In 2024, floods in Europe, the Middle East and Africa saw $36 billion in economic damages.

And just this week, a flash flood along the Nepalese-Chinese border swept away the main bridge linking the two countries.

In September 2022, Pakistan was hit by devastating flooding which left large swathes of the country under water.

Supporting countries

To help countries predict such hazards, WMO operates the Flash Flood Guidance System, a real-time forecasting platform used in over 70 countries. It integrates satellite data, radar, and weather models to detect local flash flood threats and supports training programs to build national capacity.

Beyond technology, the agency plays a convening role by building national capacity, certifying experts, and facilitating real-time coordination between forecasting agencies and disaster managers.

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Adhering to bans on mines only in peace time will not work: UN rights chief

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Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine have taken or are considering steps to withdraw from the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction – known also as the Ottawa Convention, after the Canadian city where the process was launched.

“These weapons risk causing persistent and long-term, serious harm to civilians, including children,” Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in a statement. “Like other international humanitarian law treaties, the Ottawa Convention was principally designed to govern the conduct of parties to armed conflicts.”

“Adhering to them in times of peace only to withdraw from them in times of war or for newly invoked national security considerations seriously undermines the framework of international humanitarian law.”

A threat to civilians

Anti-personnel mines are one of the two main types of mines and target people – as opposed to anti-vehicle mines. However, because both of these mines are triggered automatically, they result in huge numbers of civilian deaths, especially children.

Their deadly risks linger long after hostilities end, contaminating farmland, playgrounds, and homes, and posing a constant threat to unsuspecting civilians.

Agreed in 1997, the Ottawa Convention prohibits signatories from using, stockpiling, producing or transferring anti-personnel mines due to the threat that these weapons pose to civilians, especially children.  

In the two-and-a-half decades since it was passed, the Ottawa Convention has 166 States parties, has led to the a marked reduction in the use of anti-personnel mines.  

Trends reversing

However, in recent years, these positive trends have begun to reverse with the number of civilians killed and injured by mines increasing by 22 per cent in 2024 – 85 per cent of the casualties were civilians and half of them were children.  

Despite progress, some 100 million people across 60 countries still live under the threat of landmines.

In Ukraine, for instance, the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) estimates that more than 20 per cent of the country’s land is contaminated – amounting to 139,000 square kilometres.

Similarly, landmines remain still a significant threat in Cambodia, decades after the end of the conflict and years of de-mining efforts.

Uphold international law

Mr. Türk urged all parties to the Ottawa Convention to uphold their international legal obligations regarding anti-personnel mines and on non-signatories to join the Convention.  

“With so many civilians suffering from the use of anti-personnel mines, I call on all States to refrain from leaving any international humanitarian law treaty, and to immediately suspend any withdrawal process that may be underway.”  

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It’s time to finance our future and ‘change course’, Guterres tells world leaders in Sevilla

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António Guterres issued his clarion call noting that sustainable development powered by international cooperation, is now facing “massive headwinds.”

Addressing the opening session of the 4th Financing for Development Conference (FFD4) in baking hot Sevilla, Spain – basking in record high June temperatures – the Secretary-General noted multilateralism itself is also feeling the heat, while trust between nations and institutions fray.

The world is on fire, shaken by inequalities, climate chaos and raging conflicts: “Financing is the engine of development and right now, this engine is sputtering,” he told the conference, attended by more than 50 world leaders, over 150 nations and around 15,000 delegates.

“As we meet, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – our global promise to transform our world for a better, fairer future – is in danger.”

Some two-thirds of the ambitious Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targets agreed in 2015 are significantly off track – hence the staggering $4 trillion investment needed to turn it around.

“We are here in Sevilla to change course. To repair and rev up the engine of development to accelerate investment at the scale and speed required,” said Mr. Guterres.

He described the outcome known as the Sevilla Commitment adopted on Monday – without the United States which pulled out of the process earlier this month – as a “global promise” to low-income nations to lift them up the development ladder.

The UN chief outlined three key action areas:

  • First, get resources flowing fast at home to spur sustainable growth, and for richer countries to honour their pledge under the accord to double aid to poorer countries to boost development. This includes tripling the lending capacity of Multilateral Development Banks and innovative solutions to unlock private cash.
  • Second, fix the “unsustainable, unfair and unaffordable” global debt system. Right now, poorer countries are spending around $1.4 trillion just servicing their vast debts in the form of interest payments. Among the innovations, a new borrowers’ forum will ensure fairer debt resolution and action.
  • Third, reform the global financial architecture, with major shareholders playing their part, so that it empowers every country. “We need a fairer global tax system shaped by all, not just a few.”

The current crisis of affordability and stalled development is “a crisis of people,” he continued, which leaves families hungry, children unvaccinated, and girls left out of education.

“This conference is not about charity. It’s about restoring justice and to facilitate the ability of all people to live in dignity,” said Mr. Guterres.

“This conference is not about money – it’s about investments in the future we wish to build together.”

A tangible and actionable’ roadmap

King Felipe of Spain spoke just ahead of the official opening, telling delegates the multicultural city of Sevilla welcomes the world “with open arms”.

He said a new roadmap would emerge that is based on what is “concrete and tangible and actionable”.

The conference must be a success, because cooperation is one of our fundamental pillars of the multilateral world and “the ultimate embodiment of the values that sustain it – especially at this particular point in history where many certainties are melting away and many fears and uncertainties are taking shape.”

‘Our time is now’

Spain’s President Pedro Sánchez told delegates “our time is now and our place is here.” Millions of lives will depend on the choices made in Sevilla and going forward.

We must choose “ambition over paralysis, solidarity over indifference and courage over convenience,” he continued, adding that the eyes of world are on this hall, to see what we are ready to do together and in the face of this historic challenge we must prove our worth.”

Sevilla was “the New York of the 16th century” in diplomatic terms he told delegates – and a cradle of globalism – we must all do that legacy justice today.

‘Sevilla is not an end point’

Secretary-General of the conference, Li Junhua – who’s in charge of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) – said the week in Sevilla is key moment to mobilise the resources necessary to build a just, inclusive and sustainable future.

The UN effort to finance development has been anchored in multilateralism and solidarity – but today, the whole framework is under “profound stress.”

He said never has sustainable development been so tested but the pact made in Sevilla puts people back at the centre.

“Sevilla is not an end point, it is a launch pad for a new era of implementation, accountability and solidarity.” UNDESA is ready to support all nations to translate the commitment into international action, he underscored.

President of the UN General Assembly Philémon Yang told delegates above all, “we need leadership to guide the world forward into a brighter more prosperous future for everyone, everywhere.”

He said the Sevilla framework will renew global partnership for the decade ahead and provide a focus on a debt burden which is crippling the developing world.

President of the UN Economic and Social Council Bob Rae said trust between countries had to be strengthened, because its absence “creates chaos.”

“Most of all I want to congratulate states for bringing forward the ambition, deepening engagement between financial institutions.”

The week represents a real commitment to action, he said.

Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank Group, told delegates ending poverty remains his key mission and the surge in population underway in developing countries requires resources “at an unprecedented scale and pace.”

He said everyone knew that governments, philanthropies and institutions are unable to meet every projection or promise – which is why the private sector is essential to the Sevilla Agreement so that capital can flow.

Mr. Banga added that the bank’s reforms of recent years are about being a better partner to the private sector and government clients.

Improving response time, boosting capital and systems of growth are key – but much more is needed to deliver for the next generation.

Exempt least-developed from punishing tariffs: WTO

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of World Trade Organization said the conference was gathering at a time of unprecedented difficulty.

After decades of positive contributions, the global trading system has now been “severely disrupted” leaving exports so hampered by unilateral tariff measures and policy uncertainty that the WTO has sharply downgraded growth forecasts.

Further tariff barriers on 9 July – the deadline set by the US administration – will only make the contraction in global trade worse.

She reminded that the WTO has argued for the least developed nations and Africa overall to be exempted from the tariffs, “so we can better integrate them into the world trading system, not further exclude them.”

She said the Sevilla Agreement rightly recognises international trade as an engine of development.

“We therefore need to bolster stability and predictability in global trade,” through action at many levels that can grow national resources through exports, she told delegates.

IMF calls for broader tax base

Nigel Clarke, Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), called for broadening the tax base, building strong financial management systems, coordinating support and addressing debt more sustainably.

“Many countries continue to struggle with high interest costs,” he said, calling on the international community to improve debt restructuring processes.  

Through its capacity development, the Fund is equipping members to chart their own paths and is also providing financial support when they need it most, he added.

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What time is it on the Moon? It’s all relative…

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Surely, you might think, we can just agree that one Earth time zone can be used for “Moon time”? Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), for example. How hard can it be? Unfortunately, this doesn’t work, for several reasons.

Here on Earth, timekeeping is easy to take for granted: we divide our world into 24 time zones, based on longitude and the planet’s rotation, and can tell the time based on the position of the Sun in the sky.

But on the Moon, the rules are different: one lunar “day” is approximately 29.5 Earth days long, and the Moon’s equatorial regions can experience up to 14 days of continuous sunlight. On some of the Moon’s tallest mountains, dubbed “peaks of eternal light,” the Sun never sets.

On top of that, physicists and science fiction fans will know that time isn’t the same on the Moon as it is on Earth. Place two perfectly synchronised clocks – one on Earth and one on the Moon – and, after just one Earth day, the lunar clock would be ahead by about 56 microseconds. That might not sound like much, but for spacecraft navigation, this tiny discrepancy could be critical.

Uniting efforts to standardize lunar time

For a Moon time zone to work, aspiring lunar actors will need to agree on a common time standard that is reliable, traceable to Earth-based time, and usable by everyone. UNOOSA is helping to lead the charge to make this a reality.

In 2024, the UN’s International Committee on Global Navigation Satellite Systems (ICG) established a dedicated working group to focus on lunar positioning, navigation and timing, standardise lunar time and trace it back to UTC that we use on Earth, for the benefit of all future lunar missions.

Peace on Earth, peace on Moon

Coordinating seamless timekeeping on the Moon is part of a broader UN mission to ensure that lunar activities, whether public, private, scientific, or commercial, are safe, peaceful and sustainable. To that end, UNOOSA convened the first United Nations Conference on Sustainable Lunar Activities in June 2024, gathering heads of space agencies, legal experts, astronauts, companies, and academics from across the globe to discuss common ground, share concerns, and reaffirm the need for transparent, inclusive lunar governance mechanisms.

© NASA/Jordan Salkin/Keegan Bar

View of Earth from the NASA Earth Observatory

One such mechanism to further international cooperation is the new Action Team on Lunar Activities Consultation (ATLAC), which is designed to help foster dialogue and formulate recommendations on how lunar exploration and activities can be coordinated internationally. ATLAC will work to finalize its workplan for the significant coming years and identify priority topics – such as coordinated lunar timekeeping – to ensure lunar activities proceed in a cooperative and orderly manner.

Humanity is entering a new era of lunar exploration featuring a record number of spacefaring nations and organizations that could reshape our relationship with our closest celestial neighbours for generations to come.

Member States will be able to work with UNOOSA to preserve the Moon as a domain of global cooperation, guided by the Outer Space Treaty’s core principle that “the exploration and use of outer space, including the Moon, shall be carried out for the benefit and in the interests of all countries.”

NASA astronaut Harrison Schmitt on the moon (file, 1972)

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Guterres welcomes election of Pope Leo ‘at a time of great global challenges’

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His Holiness Pope Leo XIV – born Robert Francis Prevost – is the first person from the United States to lead the Catholic Church, although he also holds Peruvian citizenship after working in the Latin American country for many years.

He was selected by cardinals voting at the Vatican and later greeted thousands gathered in St. Peter’s Square with a message of peace.

Strong voices needed

Mr. Guterres extended heartfelt congratulations to the new pontiff and Roman Catholics everywhere. 

 “The election of a new Pope is a moment of profound spiritual significance for millions of faithful around the world, and it comes at a time of great global challenges,” he said.

 “Our world is in need of the strongest voices for peace, social justice, human dignity and compassion.”

Building on the legacy

 The Secretary-General said he looks forward to building on the long legacy of cooperation between the UN and the Holy See – nurtured most recently by the late Pope Francis – to advance solidarity, foster reconciliation, and build a just and sustainable world for all.

 “It is rooted in the first words of Pope Leo,” he noted.  “Despite the rich diversity of backgrounds and beliefs, people everywhere share a common goal: May peace be with all the world.”

© FAO/Giuseppe Carotenuto

António Guterres, UN Secretary-General (fourth from right) greets an official in front of St. Peter’s Basilica at the funeral of Pope Francis.

Pope Leo, 69, was born and grew up in the midwestern city of Chicago and spent years working as a missionary in Peru, before becoming a bishop and then rising to head the international Order of St. Augustine.

He became a cardinal in 2023 and went on to run the Vatican office that selects and manages Catholic bishops worldwide. 

He succeeds Pope Francis – the first Pope from Latin America – who died in April after serving for 12 years.

Following his death, the UN Secretary-General recalled that “Pope Francis was a transcendent voice for peace, human dignity and social justice” who “leaves behind a legacy of faith, service and compassion for all — especially those left on the margins of life or trapped by the horrors of conflict.” 

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Smartphone tracking shows fear affects where youth spend time

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Youth spend less time in their neighborhoods if area residents have a high fear of crime, according to a new study that used smartphones to track kids’ whereabouts.

Researchers found that adolescents aged 11 to 17 spent over an hour less each day on average in their neighborhoods if residents there were very fearful, compared to kids from areas perceived as being safer. Higher fear of crime was linked to high-poverty neighborhoods.

This is the first study to use smartphone data to track a large, diverse sample of young people to determine where they spend their time, said Christopher Browning, lead author of the study and professor of sociology at The Ohio State University.

“It is clear that kids who live in high-poverty areas are spending less time in their neighborhoods and that is linked to a collective fear of crime,” Browning said.

“This has never been tested before with GPS data that tracks movements on a minute-by-minute basis.”

Browning presented the research Aug. 14 in Montreal at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association.

This preliminary data is from the Adolescent Health and Development in Context study, which Browning leads. The study is examining the lives of 1,402 representative youths living in 184 neighborhoods in Franklin County, Ohio. This includes the city of Columbus and its suburbs.

In this study, which was conducted April 2014 to July 2016, participating adolescents were given a smartphone that they kept with them for one week. The GPS function on the phone reported their location every 30 seconds.

Overall, results showed youth spent an average of 52 percent of their waking time each day at home, 13 percent in their neighborhoods, and 35 percent outside of their neighborhoods. About 27 percent of the time when they were not at home while awake, they were in their neighborhoods.

All caregivers of youth in the study were asked to rate how afraid they were to walk in their neighborhood.

Results showed that caregivers’ ratings were only weakly connected to how much time their own children spent in the neighborhood. But the collective fear ratings of all the caregivers who lived in or regularly visited a neighborhood was strongly linked to the amount of time kids spent close to home.

“Once enough people stop spending time in a neighborhood because they are afraid, others will withdraw, whether they are afraid or not,” Browning said.

“If teens go to the local playground and there’s no one to play pickup basketball with, they will go outside the neighborhood to find their friends, or spend more time at home.”

The study looked at whether the presence or absence of amenities like schools, community centers and stores could explain why youth in high-poverty neighborhoods spent less time there. But this factor explained little when compared to the collective fear of crime.

“Many cities have social services like recreation centers that are targeted for disadvantaged neighborhoods,” Browning said.

“But our results suggest these amenities may be underutilized because young people are withdrawing from the neighborhood. Whether they are afraid to go there or just following their friends elsewhere, young people spend less time in disadvantaged neighborhoods.”

Upcoming studies using this same data set will examine whether kids in disadvantaged neighborhoods spend their extra time at home, or outside of their area.

Meet Miss Haryana Manushi Chillar, Crowned Miss India World 2017

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The daughter of doctor parents, who studied at St. Thomas School in Delhi and a student of Bhagat Phool Singh Government Medical College for Women in Sonepat, Manushi Chillar went on to become Miss India 2017 and she will be representing the country at the Miss World 2017 pageant.

The 54th Femina Miss India World 2017 contest finale was held at Yash Raj Studios in Mumbai on Sunday night and Manushi Chhillar was crowned amid glitterati and grandeur on the stage with the first runner-up Sana Dua from Jammu and Kashmir and the second runner-up from Priyanka Kumari from Bihar smiling at cameras. The contest will be shown on Colors TV on July 9, 2017 at 1 PM.

In an interview during the rehearsals, she had said: “The only thing I believe is certain in life is uncertainty and this is what is amazing about the pageant.”

In all, 30 participants from different states participated in the beauty pageant and 15 of them selected as Semi-Finalists and finally five could make it to the Final round where the judges bestowed on her the highest honour on Sunday night. Besides the three finalists, Vinali Bhatnagar won the Miss Active crown whereas Vamika Nidhi won the special award of ‘Body Beautiful’.

This year’s beauty pageant was changed and the selection of 30 girls from 30 states across the country was made after extensive tour of various places like Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand among others where participants came forward to be part of contest.

The costume design was made Manish Malhotra for the finale and all the 30 participants underwent a rigours process under the mentorship of former beauty queens and fashion industry heavy weights like Neha Dhupia, Waluscha De Sousa, Dipannita Sharma and Parvathy Omanakuttan.

Last year’s Miss World 2016 winner Stephanie Del Valle was present among the judges and Bollywood stars Arjun Rampal, Bipasha Basu, fashion designer Manish Malhotra, Abhishek Kapoor, Vidyut Jammwal, Ileana D’Cruz were part of the screening team.

Compered by Karan Johar and Riteish Deshmukh, the event also witnessed performances of top Bollywood names such as Sonu Nigam, Alia Bhatt, Sushant Singh Rajput and Ranbir Kapoor live on-stage.